1.17 | Heading into bat caves on a rescue mission
Bats may have a "spooky" reputation, but one bat disease is causing widespread fear among wildlife biologists: White Nose Syndrome caused by the fungus Geomyces destructans. With a mortality rate near 100%, the disease is devastating bat populations. Daniel Lindner and colleagues used Takara Ex Taq polymerase to screen for G. destructans in soil samples from bat hibernacula, gathering data and developing testing methods to help bats everywhere. That's Good Science!